Facing the Impossible? Remember the Cross and Gain Victory!
If you’re facing an impossible situation or you’re just tired of the constant flow of bad news, this message is for you! When you’re in a battle big or small, remember the cross to get through it all.
The cross brings love. God proved His love on the cross. That love surrounds us day by day.
The cross brings liberty. Because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross we are free from the bondage and penalty of sin.
The Cross brings life. It is in the Cross that we find eternal life in Christ and everything God has planned for us.
The Cross was the greatest victory ever won on earth and shows us the depth of God’s love for us. Jesus loves you so much that He paid your ransom; whatever you’re facing, He will take care of it.
About the Speaker:
Tony Higgins has been a follower of Christ for over 50 years, and serves on the Board of Faith Chapel. Through the years, he has also been both a student and leader in Bible studies. In his spare time, you’ll find him researching a new message, tinkering with computers, or spending time with his grandkids.
No trial is too big for God; the cross is proof of His love and victory.
Find inspiration in a battle cry.
Remember the Alamo.
In 1836, battles lasting 13 days took place at The Alamo in what was then known as Mexican Texas. Inside the Alamo a group of approximately 200 American settlers had assembled to defend the American immigrants who recently declared independence from Mexico. They bravely fought the 1500 Mexican soldiers led by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna of the Mexican army.
The first two attacks were unsuccessful due to the firepower of cannons from within the Alamo. But the third one resulted in a takeover by the Mexicans in just over an hour. All of the Texan and American defenders were killed in brutal hand-to-hand fighting.
It was a defeat for the Americans.
Six weeks later, a large Texan army under Sam Houston surprised Santa Anna’s army at San Jacinto. Shouting “Remember the Alamo!” the Texans defeated the Mexicans and captured Santa Anna. The loss of life and defeat at the Alamo had become an inspiration to the Texas patriots and their battle cry.
Remember the cross.
Two thousand years ago another battle took place on a hill called Calvary. It’s location was just outside of Jerusalem at Golgotha, meaning “Place of the Skull.” A man named Jesus had been seized and charged with false accusations. Even Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, said “I find no fault in this man.” But the crowd cried “Crucify him, crucify him.”
It was a sad day for Christianity. They lost. And the world won.
But did they?
‘They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. 25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews. 27 They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left.’
‘At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). 35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.” 36 Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. 37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last’ (Mark 15:22-27, 33-37, NIV).
But the story didn’t end there. If it had, Jesus would have only been a martyr. But He arose victorious over death and the grave.
Let’s look at what we should remember about the cross.
The Cross brings love.
God proved His love on the cross.
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (1 John 3:1)
God’s Love was present when he created the world and us. Without Him, there would be no love because love came from Him.
God’s love is shown by His plan of redemption for us through His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus’ death on the Cross is the greatest demonstration of God’s love for us.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
- The source of love is God’s saving work of grace in the heart of sinners.
- God’s greatest commandment is for us to love the Lord and to love one another. He created us to be the love in the world that He created.
God’s love surrounds us day by day.
“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments” (Deuteronomy 7:9).
“You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you” (Psalm 86:5).
The enormity of God’s love for us is captured in John 3:16 where it says: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
The Cross brings liberty.
Because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross we are free from the bondage and penalty of sin. God used His Son’s death to set us free from the kingdom of darkness and bring us into His kingdom of light. By Christ’s death on the Cross He has also freed us from the fear of death and sin’s stranglehold.
Remember what we read in Mark 15? Verses 33-34 says: “At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).”
This supernatural darkness described here is a symbol of God’s judgment on sin. Why did Jesus cry out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The answer lies in what happened at that moment.
Hebrews 9:22 tells us that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” Not only did Jesus give His life’s blood for us, at that moment He took on the sins of the world. God’s holy divine nature will not allow Him to “look on sin.”
For the first time Jesus felt abandonment and separation from God. The pain and anguish He felt was greater than all of the physical suffering He had endured. By taking on our sins He freed us from the grip of sin on our lives.
“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Hebrews 2:14-15).
Jesus died on the cross to set us free from the power of sin and death. If we do not use this freedom to live our lives for God then He will have died needlessly for us.
The Cross brings life.
The story of the Cross is one about a death that brings forth life to you and me. It is in the Cross, the death of Jesus, that we find eternal life in Christ. The cross is not an end in itself. It is the pathway to the resurrection life. When we accept that pathway we accept life and everything God has planned for us.
He bore our sins:
‘“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed”’ (1 Peter 2:24).
By His wounds we are healed:
‘But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.’ (Isaiah 53:5).
He brings full life:
‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’ (John 10:10).
In the eyes of man, The Cross was a defeat. But in heaven’s eyes, The Cross was the greatest victory ever won on earth. It means we can sing “Victory in Jesus” and mean it. It shows us the depth of God’s love.
What about you?
Are you facing an impossible situation?
Do you have financial troubles or health issues?
Relationship issues?
Are you tired of hearing bad news all the time?
“Remember the Cross.” Remember that Jesus loves you so much that He paid your ransom with His precious blood to give you liberty from sin. By His death and resurrection He turned death into life for all who believe in Him. Whatever you’re facing He will take care of it.
To close, I want to leave you with this poem entitled “That Cross”.
That Cross
When my eyes gaze on that cross
Oh, what love I see
For there God’s son gave his life
A sacrifice for me
The pain He suffered on that cross
All this for me he took
I’m reminded of the price it cost
When to that cross I look.
God’s love it is not hidden
It’s there for all to see
For on that cross long ago
Christ died for you and me.
The cross brings us love, liberty from sin and death, and life now and into eternity.
Suggested Praise and Worship
This and other sermons brought to you by Faith Chapel, an Assemblies of God church in Pleasanton, CA.
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